One Truth
by t0ky0-chan
Summary: Is there always only one truth? What happens when Conan finds out that he's living a lie within a lie? Is it the truth? Or is it lie to protect the truth? Completed 6-20-04
1. The Truth

**Disclaimer: All characters from Detective Conan and Magic Kaito belong to their respective owners. I'm only borrowing them from Aoyama-sensei.**

One Truth

_By: mysteriousangelgirl_

Chapter 1: The Truth

Conan was walking home one day, just like any other day, when he suddenly felt like he was being stalked. He glanced behind himself, but even finding no one in sight didn't make him feel any better. He continued on back to the detective agency when he heard a footstep behind him. Jerking around the split second his brain told him 'trouble!', he caught a glimpse of his stalker just before they disappeared. Conan stood staring at the place his stalker had just stood a moment ago. _Who the heck was that? I've never been stalked before and I don't even recognize the person....._Conan was deep in thought when he arrived at the agency, so when Ran said, "What's up, Conan-kun?" he didn't even hear. As he continued walking to the room he shared the Ran's father, Mouri Kogoro, he was still in thought about his stalker. _Who could it be? I have no idea....._He was so absorbed in his thinking that he failed to notice the person standing outside the agency window, across the street, who was staring at him. The man frowned. _I'm sorry, Kudo.....but it must be done._ Then the man walked away, disappearing into the dark shadows of the alley.

That night, while eating dinner, Conan heard Kogoro mention something interesting so decided to tune in.

"What did you say, Uncle??" Conan asked. _Please tell me I heard wrong....._

"What did I say? Well, I said I solved a great case today.....and Megure was congratulating me....and....."

"Not that!!!" Conan sighed. _That case was too easy.....I'll bet even Ran would see through that....._"I meant what you said afterwards."

"Afterwards.....I don't know what I said.....Ran, what _did_ I say?" the detective stuffed another glob of rice and who-knows-what into his mouth as he looked at his daughter.

Ran sighed. "I think you said that Megure-keibu mentioned a stalker in this neighborhood and told us to be careful....."

Conan narrowed his eyes. _Is that why the stalker's here? To stalk me? Who is he anyway? If it's someone dangerous, I can't stay here....._Conan stood up. "Uh....Ran-neesan, thanks for the dinner, but I'm not feeling well today.....can I go and get some rest?" Conan put on a tired face and pretended to have a stomach ache.

Ran looked at him worriedly. "Sure, but are you sure you're okay? I mean, if you're sick or anything, I can get you some medicine."

"No, it's okay. I just need some rest." And with that said, Conan walked off to Kogoro's room, shutting the door firmly behind him. As he walked over to his backpack leaning against the closet door, he felt the hairs on the back of his neck prick up. He sensed someone else's presence in the room. _But how's that possible? _He argued with himself.

As he was turning around in a 360 circle, he caught a glimpse of white flickering by the window. He walked near it and just as he was reaching up to close the half-opened window, a white gloved hand appeared. It held onto the window, keeping Conan from closing it and as Conan stumbled back with fear, the person with the white gloved hand said, "No worries, tantei-san. I'm just need to talk to you.......privately."

"Who...who are you?" Conan asked, pressing the button on his watch, preparing the stun dart.

"Well, who else?" the man said, pulling himself in from the window and glancing at Conan's stun wrist watch. "Touchee, tantei-san. It's only me...."

"Oh. You." Conan lowered his arm, and sighed. "What do you want?"

The white-clad thief's eyes narrowed. "What with you?"

"Nothing."

"Riiiighhhttt." The thief said, stretching the word out to show his disbelief.

"I said, nothing."

"Well, since you're not going to tell me what's on you mind, I'm going to tell you what's on MY mind. First, however, we can't talk here, so would you care to join me on a ride to the park?"

Conan sighed again. "Wonderful. A late-night talk with Kid at the park. A midnight picnic! Sure, why not, first let me leave a note or something......" Conan fumbled around the messy desk for a pen and paper. "Not like they'll see......." he mumbled, scratching something on the paper. Then he turned back to Kid. "By the way, I wouldn't want to be seen talking with Kid, the Phantom Thief, so would you mind to change back to your normal self?"

"What, and let you catch me?" Kid said sarcastically.

Conan sighed. "I'm not in the mood for jokes, okay? It's a truce for now, you know that. We're both on neutral territory when you're not Kid and when, well, Conan, ok?" He rubbed his temples, trying hard to keep a headache from coming on.

"Alright, tantei-san. I can tell you're quite worried and stressed about something, but I'll press you about it later." In a flash of light, Kid disappeared and Kuroba Kaito stood in his place. "Now, let's go." He jerked a finger toward the window. "I'm also quite surprised you'd take me up on the truce offer."

As Kaito was getting out of the room through the window, Conan said, "Oh, one more thing. I think I'm being stalked, so if you don't mind being seen, then....."

Kaito froze. "You're being stalked?"

Conan nodded. "Sort of. Just noticed today, but now that I think of it, I've been feeling 'watched' for a while now, you know what I mean. I don't know who they are, nor which side they're on, but just letting you get a heads up..."

"......"

Conan looked at Kaito. "You still want to go out and talk?"

".................."

"Guess not."

"Actually, it's alright. Let's go." Kaito grabbed Conan by the arm, yanked him toward the window and together they landed softly on the pavement a floor below and in front of the detective agency.

Kaito walked along the street with Conan, silently, neither daring to start a conversation, until they were out of the street, safely on their way to the Beika Central Park.

"So.....well, what's up?" Kaito said, running a hand through his spiky hair.

"Not much, besides realizing I have a stalker, but it seems my stalker is asleep now because I don't feel anything, or at least being 'watched' that is....." Conan stuck his hands in his pockets, shivering slightly as the cool fall breeze aroused goose-bumps on his arms, and wishing he had brought a jacket or sweater with him.

Kaito was silent for a while. Conan looked over at his friend, or rival, whatever you wanted to call him, and remembered how they had first 'officially' met.

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_He had been falling, pushed by another murderer for figuring them out, and they had grabbed him by the shirt and before he could react, he had been flung off the suspension bridge where he cornered the criminal (very bad place to do that, but...) and was falling toward the water. If Kid hadn't suddenly showed up in his hang-glider and carried Conan to the shore, he would have drowned or died from getting hit by a incoming ship. _

_Kid, at the time, was in his white uniform, even if he hadn't been on a heist. He dropped Conan off on the shore, tipped his hat and then disappeared. Conan was only able to get a good glimpse of his face because of being so close to his rival. Although he hadn't recognized Kaito, after doing some researching and hacking into police files, he figured out who the Kid was. He never confronted him though. He saw Kaito around sometimes, they both lived in __Tokyo__, but they just nodded at each other, as if mutely saying 'thanks'. _

_Then one night, Kid, dressed normally, had shown up at Conan's window._

_"Yo, tantei-san."_

_Conan rubbed his eyes, glancing at the clock and then back at the intruder and muttered, "What exactly are you doing at my window at precisely 3 in the morning?"_

_"Wow....you sound like Hakuba....." Kaito grinned._

_Conan frowned, yawning and gestured to the snoring detective on the bed. "Ya wanna wake him up too?"_

_"Well, it would easier if you'd come out with me....."_

_"Alright, but then the teacher will wonder why her best student is snoring away during math class tomorrow morning....." Conan silently got out of his bed (a mat and blanket, really) and walked over to the open window. _

_Kaito grabbed him by the shoulders and lifted him out. They landed on the pavement below with nothing more than a slight tap. They had wandered around and finally ended up at the park. At last, Conan asked the question that had been bothering him for so long. _

_"Why are you Kid, Kuroba?"_

_"Then why are you Kudo Shinichi?"_

_"Kuroba.....you know that already...."_

_"Well, I know what I overheard and found out, but I don't know the real story. Once you've told me that, then you'll know the reason I wake you up at 3 to talk to you."_

_"Alright fine. So it started like this......you know I went to __Tropical__Land__ on a date with Ran, right? And then while we went on this roller coaster ride, we encountered a murder mystery, and I solved it....whatever. What catch my attention were two men in black, very suspicious, and so when I saw them again later that night, I decided to follow them to see what kind of illegal business they were doing. I was around a corner, watching and they were doing illegal stuff and as I was snapping pictures, Gin, the tall blond one, came up behind me and knocked me out with like a bat or something like that.....and while I was half-conscious, they force fed me the poison APTX4869 and when I wake up, volla! I'm a kid and then I get taken to the police station.....then I run home, Hagase finds me and then Ran finds me.....and you know the rest...."_

_"I see.....well, then I guess you're wondering what that has to do with anything, right? Well, first of all, my father was Kuroba Toichi, which I know you've already reached about. Yes, he was a famous magician, the best of the best, man. I didn't believe he died in an accident, not once, but back then I was only seven, so I accepted that he was gone, and went on. As I was getting older, I wondered about my father's death, why my mother wasn't too upset about it, as if she knew it would happen, and what not, so I did some research on my own. I knew that my father NEVER messed up, and if he did, he somehow managed to make it part of the show. Then he just suddenly died. I suspected later that he was killed, and when I asked my mother, she dismissed that idea just like that. She's always change the subject when I brought up Dad. Since my mom wouldn't help me, I researched alone, and finally one day, I found my dad's secret Kid's room. _

_Everything in there just told me my dad was Kid. I didn't believe it at first, but it was all there! It was evidence. There was a tape too, but it broke when I finally found it.....and then everything made sense. Kid's disappearance eight years ago, my father's death just around that time....well, so I used the message that Jii sent out, to find out if Dad really was dead, or just in hiding. When Jii found me, he was my dad's, as Kid, servant, and thought I was Dad and then he confirmed everything, about Dad being Kid and that. Then he told me that Dad had been murdered.....and so something made me take on the job of Kid, relieving him from the dead and bringing him back to life. It just fit, I guess, because, well Dad was the Kid. And you know the rest, I'm Kid, I steal things, but I return them.....and Jii helps me sometimes, basically to watch my back......"_

_"Kuroba, I'm sorry about your dad.....but how does that connect to my story?"_

_"Kudo, the people who made you like this," he gestured to Conan, "they killed my father."_

_"Are you serious?"_

_"Why wouldn't I be?"_

_"But.....gah, dammit, that freakin' organization!!"_

_"I know, Kudo, but just getting angry is enough."_

_"So you're luring them out, right?"_

_"Yeah....."_

_"You do know how dangerous that is?"_

_"Of course, from the moment I put on the white suit, cap, and monocle, I knew."_

_"Kuroba, if you die, I will NOT forgive you...."_

_"Oh, and why not?"_

_"Because then they would have killed another person, and I will not let them do that if it's the last thing I do!"_

_"But what if you die, Kudo?"_

_"Uh......."_

_"Exactly. So how about a truce?"_

_"A truce."_

_"Yeah, so while I'm not Kid, and you're not Kudo Shinichi, like right now, or while we're not on a heist, we're on neutral territory. No stun darts, and not card guns, ok?"_

_"Well.......I guess that's fair enough for now.....though I hadn't thought about using my watch yet......besides, I still owe you for saving me on the bridge."_

_"Nuh-uh. That's what got us started, and now that you've agreed to help me...."_

_"Since when did I say I was going to help you?"_

_"Well, Kudo, we're after the same people, going after them separately would probably just get us killed....."_

_"Alright I know. But still, I'll need to think this over...."_

_"Yes, I know, working with a phantom thief isn't exactly in your manual book of being a detective, I know."_

_Conan nodded and their conversation came to a abrupt end, as Conan turned to head back home, Kaito said, "You know what, I've always wondered why you look so much like me....."_

_"Yeah I wonder.....Ran mistook you for me once and then I got in trouble....."_

_Kaito snorted. "Well then, tantei-san. I'll let you get back to sleep, while I catch up on my ZZZZ's too.....so ja ne"_

_"Are you going to meet me again?"_

_"I'll come find you....." was the reply and then silence. Kaito had just disappeared. Conan found it rather spooky, but jogged him and quietly slipped into his room again. He was soon asleep again, as if nothing had happened at all that night......_

"So, Kudo, do you wonder why I came back today?"

"To ask if I want to help you?" Conan guessed.

"No, well actually it's something much more important than that....."

"Like......"

"Well, since we've already established the fact that we're on the same side and that working together will be better than alone, I guess I _should_ tell you about what I found out....."

"What did you find out, Kuroba??"

"Well, okay, how would you react when you find out that, since you're already living a lie, you know no offense or anything, but if you find out that what you thought to be true was actually a lie too?"

"I don't get you, Kuroba....."

"Well, Kudo, you're really not Kudo Shinichi......"

"What? Then who am I?" Conan asked sarcastically, thinking that Kaito was still kidding.

"Well, how should I say this? I mean....well, it's just that, okay....uhh...."

"Kuroba, just spit it out."

"You are my brother, Kudo."

-to be continued-

_Eee, ya like the cliff-hanging ending?? Alright, I know it's not that good, but still I hope you like it so far. And please give me feedback, hint hint review!!!!!! Alrighty, I'll see ya in the next chapter!!!! _


	2. A New Ally

**Disclaimer: Anything I use from DC or MK belong to their respective owners. Other characters, however, such as Sandra Matono, belong to me.**

One Truth

_By: mysteriousangelgirl_

Chapter 2: A New Ally

"You are my brother, Kudo."

The sentence kept repeating in Conan's ear. _No....it can't be....it must be a joke.... _His expression must have betrayed his shock because Kaito took one look at him and then began explaining.

"Okay, well, while I was researching, I found this hidden site, it was all accidental because I was surfing the net about info on, you know, the gem I'm going to steal, okay?"

"And...." Conan managed to croak out.

"And I came across this hidden site, it talked about a young boy, at the age of only 1, how he was found on the park benches in Tokyo. The person who found him, assuming they are the person who wrote that site, said they always wanted a child, but couldn't, and so they took the child and raised him as their own. They didn't know if the boy was left there, or lost there, and later, in the page, it said: 'If you know who this boy belongs to, please give him back to his rightful parents. Although it would be terrible to lose my only son, I would like for him to be happy with his real parents, if that is what he shall choose.' The message wasn't signed, but, it specified that to this site, after being read once, will automatically be destroyed, and then there was a link to the hospital in which they think the boy was born. I clicked on it and after searching through a whole bunch of files, there was one, that fit the young boy's description, and the names written on the mother and father line were........"

"Kuroba Meimi and Toichi?"

"How'd you....know?"

"Kuroba, you think I wouldn't be aware of who were my real parents?"

"You.....you know then......"

"How it all happened, no, but that I'm your brother, yes and that's all."

"I don't understand either, and I can't just confront my mom with this, plus the fact that my dad.....isn't here anymore....."

"Kuroba. Here, let me get this straight. You did research, and accidentally you found out about this boy's birth and adoption, let's call it that, okay?" Conan cleared his throat, but the lump in his throat just didn't go away. "And then you figure it must be me, because.......I don't know why, but you think it's me and then you come over here to tell me."

"Kudo, it has to be you. There's no one else. I checked hospital records; Kudo Shinichi was never 'born'. But Kuroba Shinichi was."

"Listen to me, and don't interrupt. I know that. I know my real name is Kuroba Shinichi and that your parents are really my parents, you think I hadn't figured that out by now?"

Kaito remained silent.

"When I first found out, it was looking through my parents files. I had never seen my birth certificate, didn't know if I even had one, but I was just cleaning, and then I found a disk. It was write-protected and it was buried so deep in the papers that it seemed like it wouldn't have been important. So I stuck it in the computer and voila! I see that page you saw about the boy. But the difference was that it was in a document, that had been deleted about a billion times already, but somehow it didn't delete properly."

"Then how did you know that was talking about you?"

"Well, dammit, it had my name on it!"

"But the site didn't mention....."

"Dammit, I meant on the document, it was saved as 'Shinichi's truth'. How could I have missed that?"

Kaito was silent again.

"And so I didn't know what to do. I was only ten, Kuroba!"

"I know, I know."

"So I did research, just like you did, found that site with your parents' names written as mine and then did research on them. After finding out about your dad, and all, well I was just, scared. I didn't know what to do. And that disk, with the document on it, erased itself, so I guess it was set to delete itself after being read. I thought, well if that's gone, and my parents never mention it, then I'll just forget about it. And I did. Until you brought it up again seven years later, right now."

"I'm sorry, Kudo. I didn't mean to do that, like ruin what you tried to forget, but I thought that you might want to know......and that since we're related by blood.....and that....maybe you'd understand me better........but......."

"Kuroba, nothing's going to change the way I think of you. I know what you've been through and I accept it, after all, I guess it happened to me, in an indirect way, too. But what I want to know......is why they just left me there to die, why my parents never said anything, why you never said anything, and why your mother never mentioned it to you."

"Kudo.....I don't know all the answers yet and this isn't something that can be solved tonight, or this morning. It'll take time. I think that....."

"I should go ask my parents first, and then you'll take me to see your mother and we'll sort everything out, right?" Conan managed a slight smile as he looked up at his brother.

Kaito grinned. _Great minds do think alike. _"Yeah, so since it's almost 2 now, you'll want to get home, so will I, and I'll see you around." Kaito hopped up from the bench in the park that the two of them had been sitting on, and ran off. He turned back once to see his true brother waving and grinning slightly. Kaito ran home with a smile on face.

-the next day, at Teitan Elementary School-

"Conan!" It was Ayumi whispering. "Teacher's coming."

Conan was half-asleep. _Ehh??_

"Edogawa-kun!"

"Mmm?" Conan blinked and looked up at the teacher who was glaring at him.

"That's the third time you've fallen asleep in math class today! Now since you think you don't need to pay attention, answer my questions!"

Conan stood up. "Okay."

Behind the teacher, Ayumi, Genta, and Mitsuhiko looked scared.

The teacher eyed him. _He's smart, but he can't be that smart. How about some algebra? That'll stump him! _"3x5x2x=100. How much is x?" The teacher smiled, knowing that a first grader could never come up with an answer and saw out of the corner of her eye, that all the students were staring, afraid the smartest kid in their class would fall prey to their teacher's questioning.

"X=10, teacher." Conan smiled. "Am I right?"

The teacher sputtered. _How? How could he get that right? A first grader could never figure that out......Whatever, I'll test him again. _"What's the square root of 25?"

"Five."

"Uhh......it's a right triangle, and one side equals 3, one side equals 4, what does the last side equal?"

"Five."

"Um......Uh.......what's 13 squared?"

"169."

"Umm....that's all for now....." The teacher sweat dropped as she walked back to the front of the room and resumed her teaching. All the students, except Haibara, were amazed. Conan put his head back down on the desk and was asleep again within seconds. The teacher eyed him, but didn't say anything.

-over at Kaito's school-

Kaito was sleeping in class like usual, where Aoko suddenly poked him in the ribs, causing him to blink. "Huh?"

"How come you're so tired, today? Usually you only sleep until science class, and it's already math class. You're not sick or anything, are you?" She whispered from her seat to the left of Kaito, glancing toward the teacher to make sure he was still lecturing the class.

"Nah.....just extra tired yesterday....." Kaito yawned and went back to sleep.

Aoko just looked at him, then turned back to the teacher to take notes. Akako glanced backwards from her seat diagonally in front of Kaito's and raised her eyebrows. Then she looked back at the teacher, to show that she was listening. Hakuba was quite bored, twirling his pen and looking at the teacher, and when Kaito went back to sleep, he glanced at the seat to the right of him, and blinked. Then he resumed his pen twirling and scribbling on paper. Nothing was said after that.

-after school, outside Teitan Elementary School-

"Conan! Wait up!!" the high-pitched child's voice called, as the short haired girl ran to catch up with Conan.

"What's up, Ayumi?"

"Well, I just wanted to tell you that, you were really cool today in class. Did you just guess the answers or did you peek at the answer sheet?"

"Well.........I guessed......" Conan said. _They'll never believe that I already learned this stuff....._

"Oh! You're a good guesser then!!! Well, I have to go now, I have a doctor's appointment, I'll see you tomorrow, Conan-kun!!" She ran off, looking behind her and waving until she disappeared around a corner.

Conan sighed.

"So, tantei-san. Penny for your thoughts," a voice said behind him.

"No, even a million yen wouldn't cover it, Haibara."

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah....." He sighed again.

"Alright then. Well, I have to go back to Hagase's house and work on that antidote, you coming?"

"No, not yet. I'll come over tomorrow. Tonight, I....err, have some phone calls to make, okay? I'll see you!" Conan ran off, very aware of the person stalking him, and was trying to lure the person out.

As he neared the park, he suddenly changed directions and ran back the same way he had come. The stalker was taken by surprise and was trying to climb a fence and get away when Conan got near enough to him and shot a dart. The man, however, stopped climbing the fence and caught the dart between his fingers. He smiled. "So you finally caught up to me, huh?"

"Who the hell are you?"

"Someone you wouldn't care about, tantei-san." The man removed his sunglasses. He smiled down at Conan, as Conan's eyes widened.

"You......"

"Me what?"

"You......I don't know you......"

The man laughed and then grabbed Conan by the arm, causing him to go on alert again. Conan was just about to yell for help, when the man put a hand over his mouth and whispered, "Shh.....if you don't want to attract more attention than you already did, shut it." Something about the man told Conan not to panic, so he cooperated. The man picked him up and together they rounded a corner, and then another, and another, until Conan had absolutely no idea where he was. Just as he was going to bite the man's hand and ask him what's going on, the man let the hand over Conan's mouth drop, and he fumbled to open the black car's door. He finally got it open and shoved Conan inside and then shut the door. He ran around to the driver's side and let himself in. Just as Conan turned to him and was about to ask, "Where are you taking me?" the man said, "I'm not taking you anywhere," and started the car. He drove down the street for a while and then turned onto the freeway. Once they were coasting at about 80mi/hr, he finally glanced at Conan.

"You wonder where I'm going?"

"Well, dammit, that was what I was asking you about 20 minutes ago!"

"I'm not taking you anywhere, just driving around so we can talk."

"Talk? I don't even know who you are."

The man smiled. "You're not supposed to. So don't you wonder what I'm going to talk to you about? About your parents and your 'adoption' or your connection to the Kid and the organization?"

"How.....how did you know that?"

"Hey, it's not like I don't keep my targets bugged....." the man said as he reached over and plucked a small round bug from Conan backpack.

"Targets?" Conan tensed.

"I'm not from the organization, trust me."

"Then where _are_ you from, and why would a guy like you, an _agent_, get caught by a kid like me?"

"For starters, I'm a woman, not a guy."

"What?"

"Hey, agents do have to go undercover."

"Agents? You're from the FBI."

"Yeah, what did ya expect?"

"But what about......"

"What about what, Kudo?"

"You sure know me well."

"Of course. I memorized your entire file before I was formally assigned to come and watch you."

"Watch me.....what for?"

"Don't you know you're being stalked?"

"Well, I thought that was you."

"Nope, it was someone else."

"From the organization?" Conan was surprised he was still so calm after being told that he had _two_ stalkers.

"Can't tell for sure, but I suspect so."

"Then what are you doing here?"

"I was sent to protect you, whether your stalker is on your side or not."

"Then you know about my chat with Kuroba?"

"Of course, every word."

Conan groaned. _And I thought that the stalker was gone._ "Then......"

"By the way, name's Sandra. Sandra Matono."

"Matono? You're Japanese?"

"My father. My mom's Chinese."

"Oh. Then would you mind not talking in a girl's voice when you're still dressed as a guy?"

Sandra smiled and ripped off her mask along with the hat she had been wearing. Her long brown hair fell to their normal shoulder length. Then she yanked off her shirt, along with her pants, to show that she had a black dress on underneath. "Better?"

"Yeah...."

"Okay, back down to business." Sandra whipped out a FBI badge and showed it to Conan. "There's proof. Now comes the explaining."

"What explaining?"

"Hang on, can you hand me that black jacket in the back seat?" Sandra asked, pointing to the jacket behind Conan's chair.

Conan grabbed it and handed it to her. Sandra put it on, letting go of the wheel with both hands, causing Conan to raise his eyebrows. "And you're sure you won't get into an accident, first?"

"Nah.....and about explaining.....it's about what you have to do. I have to bug you, whether you want me to or not, it's safer and then I'm going to trace you for a while." Sandra exited the highway and then made a U-turn onto the highway going the opposite way, back the direction which they came from, and then began speaking again. "And so.........shit!" Sandra had glanced in the rearview mirror and caught sight of another black chair right behind them.

"What?" Conan looked and when he sat back down, asked, "Is....is it....them?"

"Them as in the organization, yes, but they're just trying to get me, not you, so chill." Sandra whipped the wheel to the left, making a sharp turn behind a pickup truck and then floored the accelerator, shooting the small black car's speed up to 90mi/hr.

"But how do you know it's them? Your car's black too."

"Which is exactly why I know it's them. I'm the only agent that drives a black car, because I usually work at night, but you're a special case and I didn't have time to get a new car, and you also know that they are one of the only people who drives those antique cars, right?" Sandra made another sharp turn onto the shoulder to pass the row of cars moving at like 20mi/hr. The second black car followed.

Sandra glanced in the mirror again and said, "Kudo, we're going to be on a chase for a while, so buckle up and keep your head down. If they don't know you're here, then it's safer, since there's still the chance that your stalker is in that car." After said, Sandra pressed the accelerator down farther, making their record speed 100mi/hr.

Conan crossed his arms and looked over at Sandra. "Now since I'll be here for a while, can you let me make a call home so my neesan doesn't worry herself too much?"

Sandra managed a grin. "No, let me handle that." With that she got out a cell phone from inside her black jacket and dialed.

_She knows the agency's phone too??_ Conan thought as Sandra held the cell phone to her ear with one hand and with other, turned the car in a 360 turn and shooting the car down the highway against traffic. The black car trailing Sandra had not expected that and so they turned to the left, crashing into the railing, as Sandra's car shot past it. Just ahead was an exit (actually just a ramp to get ON the highway, but she's going the wrong way), so Sandra flew up the ramp, and landed on the right side of the street. Then she lowered the speed to 45mi/hr and said, "Hello?" into the cell phone, as Ran must have just got home and picked up.

"Hello, Ran-neesan?" Sandra said, imitating Conan's voice with absolutely no flaw.

"Yes, I'm fine, it's just that today, I might be a bit late coming home because I'm......" Sandra trailed off, stopping at a stop sign and then turning left onto a street that Conan's never seen before.

Conan could just tell that Ran was saying, "How come?" because Sandra answered, "Well, you see, I met this lady, she's this teacher, and I've been having trouble with math, so she wanted to help me and it might take a while.....so.....uhh......"

There was pause as Sandra listened to the response. Then she grinned as she said, "Okay, then, I'll be sure to be back by 9, okay? Alright, bye, Ran-neesan!" Sandra hung up with the grin still shining as Conan glared at her.

"It's not very nice for you people to imitate other people's voices, you know."

"I know, it's just, well, I do have to practice to maintain those skills you know." Sandra stopped in front of a warehouse. "Come on," she said, as she got out of the car. Conan followed reluctantly. As they entered through the back door, a soft clicking noise brought Conan back to alert. He glanced around, still following Sandra in the dark, but couldn't see anything.

Sandra stopped, reached down and picked Conan up. She fiddled with his watch and turned on the light. Then, stilling holding his arm, she flashed the light around. Then she turned off the light, before Conan could catch anything, and dropped his arm.

"Computer, voice recognition, agent Sandra Matono," she said. A red light above her head flashed and a door, to the left of where they had come in from, swung open and Sandra half-dragged Conan through. After they had gotten through the doorway, the door slammed shut, and Sandra pressed her right thumb into a specific brick on the right. The brick lit up, and a blue beam ran from the top to the bottom, scanning her fingerprint. Another door opened and the two hurried through it. The door slammed shut behind them too, and a light above them lit up.

Conan glanced around and saw a big empty room with about a million stacks of paper and computers lined against the wall. There was only one computer, somewhere near the left, that was on.

"So, Kudo," Sandra said, glancing at her watch that read 7:10 and then walked over to the only computer on. "You ready?" She beckoned for him to pull a chair over and he did so.

As he sat down, and Sandra began some downloading program, he said, "Ready for what?"

"Well, to hack the organization's files and to get the antidote and a whole ton of other info that you and I need!"

Conan's eye grew wide as the words sunk in. "What did you say? Say it again."

Sandra stopped typing and clicking to look at the boy. _What? Does he not want to?_ "I said, we are going to hack the organization's files, get the info needed for an antidote for ATPX4869, and anything else that will help in bringing those men down...." Sandra trailed off, not knowing what to expect from Conan.

Conan stared at her and then smiled. "Bring it on."

-to be continued-

_Okay, I know this is sort of drifting off about the connection between Kaito and Conan, but I'll find a way to get it together, hopefully. I'm terribly sorry it took so long to update, I had it all written, but I moved recently, and there's no internet access at my new house yet, so I couldn't upload this. Anyway, I hope you liked it so far and please review!!!! _


	3. A Streak of Hope

**Disclaimer: Anything used from DC or MK do not belong to me, but to their respective owners. A few original characters, such as Sandra and some other people mentioned later one, are mine!!! **

One Truth

_By: mysteriousangelgirl_

Chapter 3: A Streak of Hope

"Are you ready, Kudo?" Sandra asked.

"Bring it on."

"Alright. First off, I'll need you to bring me that digital camera over there," Sandra said, typing furiously on her computer and cocking a head over to the lone camera sitting next to the computer.

Conan picked it up and held it out to her. "Here."

"Hang on....." Sandra punched in some weird combination of keys and opened this empty window. "Okay," she said, taking the camera and pointing to the screen at the empty window. "When we hack, no when I hack into the organization's files, you take a picture of the formula of the apotoxin, the file automatically closes down in 30 seconds, and you can't print it without a password, so you take a picture, and then we'll get the info from there. You got it?"

Conan blinked. "Uh.......yeah sort of. But are you sure the camera's going to work?" he asked, looking suspiciously at the camera in Sandra's hands.

"Of course, that's where I got most of the info on you, though some of it came from......."

"From who, Sandra? You ought to tell me that now."

"Well, it's from someone, whom you don't have to know yet, and don't forget, Kudo, I'm the FBI agent here, okay? Also, what you should be worrying about now," she said pointing back to the computer screen, "is getting the information we need, okay?"

Conan sighed. "Alright."

"You know, I'm doing you a HUGE favor here, normally even FBI agents aren't allowed to hack, even for important information, we're supposed to figure it out, but you know that often, no almost always, takes a loooonnnngggg time, so when I told my handler about this, he said okay, and bent the rules for me.....though I still feel guilty." Sandra began typing again, until a new window popped up. It had a timer, with 20 seconds and counting down.

"What's that?"

"Password entry into the files." Sandra typed in a short, but difficult to remember numbered password and hit enter. Just as Conan was thinking that the password wasn't valid, a screen showed up. Sandra clicked on the link APTX4869 and yelled, "Kudo, hurry and take as many pictures as you can in 20 sec, I'll scroll down every 5 seconds. I don't want to leave the window open too long, in case of arousing suspicion."

Conan didn't even nod as he started snapping pictures; surprisingly Sandra's camera was faster at taking and loading images taken than a regular one. At exactly 20 seconds, Sandra closed the file, but not before making sure that Conan had taken enough pictures of the information they needed to know.

"Alright, now to the member's real identities....." Sandra scrolled along the screen, came up with a link and just before she clicked it, she looked over at Conan. He nodded a ready sign.

"Alright, let's go!" Sandra clicked, the screen appeared, and Conan snapped pictures. "Hurry up, Kudo, this one's long!"

Conan gritted his teeth as he willed time to go slower. Then, even as his index finger continued to snap pictures, he recalled Ai's words.

_"Don't try to go against the stream of time, for those who try will be severely punished," she had said._

Conan snapped the last pictures just milliseconds before Sandra closed the file. "Alright, that's all we need for now. If we continue, organization members will track it to this computer and that'll endanger anyone around here." Sandra typed furiously again, closed all windows and shut down the computer. "Okay, let's get you home now; your neesan might be getting worried now."

Conan glared as he handed the camera back to Sandra, but he got up after Sandra, went through all the secret hidden doors and finally arrived back in front of Sandra's black car. It was almost invisible in the dark night.

"You see what I mean by driving around at night? You don't turn any lights on and the engine's soft, it could almost be invisible!" Sandra said, getting into the car and locking the door behind Conan.

"Well......I don't think driving without lights would be very safe...."

"You get used to it, and my night vision is pretty good." Sandra started the engine and the car silently disappeared into the darkness.

A few days later, a phone call sent to Hagase's house was answered by Conan, who had arrived there after school to talk with Ai, but found that she was taking a bath. "Hello?"

"Hello, I need to speak to Edogawa Conan, please."

"This is him." Conan wondered who it was, the voice didn't seem familiar. He was expecting something like a phone call from Sandra, but from that night when she dropped him off in front of the agency, he hadn't heard from her again.

"Hello, Kudo."

"Kudo? Why do you call me Kudo? You just asked for me, Conan, then-" Conan's voice had become quite panicky.

"Chill it, Kudo, it's me." Sandra's voice rang in his ear.

"Sandra?"

"No, here my name is Kiko. I don't use my real name at this shop that I work part-time at."

"Fine, Kiko."

"Alright. I just called to let you know, all the photos came out fine, I've downloaded them all onto my personal computer, and it's all great. I've read over once, got most of it memorized, and, okay, let me just be direct. With all the ingredients needed to create APTX4869, there's no way your friend is ever going to find a cure. I've contacted our drug manager in California, and he says he'll get working on it when I give him the information, but the problem is that sending things like this over the internet or phone is not at all safe, so I've decided I'm going in person. You might like to come, as then you'd be back to normal even before coming back, but I know that you have reasons to stay in Tokyo, which I understand perfectly, but in any case that you'd like to come, contact me, and I'll get it arranged, okay?"

Conan blinked. _Wow......that's so.....fast......_ "Well, I do want to come, but then again I need to....."

"I know, Kudo. I'll call you tomorrow; make up your mind by then. Later!"

Before Conan could even say wait, she had hung up. He slowly replaced the receiver back onto its cradle and nearly jumped out of his skin when he realized that Ai had been standing right next to him.

"So she thinks I'm not up to finding the antidote?"

"Ai.....what......no, that's not, I mean, she's just trying, but......GAHHH!!!!"

"I know, just giving you a hard time, but you've still got to give me _some_ credit, I've gotten them on the right foot."

Conan sighed. "How much did you hear?"

"Enough."

Conan shook his head. "I don't know what to do, I mean, I can't just go, I mean, I have to watch over Ran, Uncle, Hagase, and you. I have to talk to Kaito too."

"Well, it's your decision, but personally, if I were you, I'd go. And you can leave Mouri-san, her father, and Hagase to me and Kaito. I don't necessarily get along with the Mouri's, but when it comes to this, it wouldn't hurt, right?" She smiled slightly, well; at least Conan _thought_ she did.

"Thanks, Ai. I was just going to ask you that."

"No problem, but one piece of advice from everyone. Be safe, and use your brain."

Conan smirked. "Alright." He glanced at his watch. 6:15. "Well, I've got to get home now; I'll see you, well whenever I get back!" With a nod from Ai, he bolted from the chair, grabbed his backpack on the way out, and barely closed the front door before racing out of the house.

Ai watched the retreating boy and smiled, just slightly turned up at the corners. _Well, good luck, Kudo. I guess there's still a streak of hope for you.....you are just one lucky guy......_ Then she turned around and walked back down to her lab in the basement of Hagase's house, feeling more relaxed than she had ever been before.

-to be continued-

_Alright, it's kind of short and I'm terribly sorry about the delay for the last chapter. It's because of my moving and all, I explain it in my profile. Well, I hope you liked it so far, and I'm guessing it's going to be at least 10 chapters again, unless I make long chapters, but yeah.....and please review!!!!_


	4. A Cure?

**Disclaimer: Things used from DC or MK aren't mine.**

One Truth

_By: mysteriousangelgirl_

Chapter 4: A Cure?

"Conan, are you sure about this trip?" Ran asked for the fifth time today. She and Conan were packing for his trip to California. Conan said that he was going to visit a relative, just as Sandra had told him to when she called him again.

"Yes, Ran-neechan. There's a cousin there that I haven't seen in a long time and his parents thought it would be a good idea to get together." Conan stuffed the last shirt into his duffel bag, zipped it up and turned to smile at Ran. "Don't worry about me, Ran-neechan. I'll call you everyday to let you know how I am, okay?"

"Okay, but when are you coming back? Winter vacation doesn't last forever, you know." Ran stood up, bringing Conan's duffel bag up with her.

"I know and I'm not sure when I'll be back, but I promise it will be before school starts." Conan followed Ran out of the bedroom.

"Okay, but how are you going to get to the airport?" Ran dropped his bag by the door and turned around to face him.

"They sent someone to pick me up." _Actually, Sandra's coming to pick me up. _Conan looked up at Ran, expecting to see a smile, but instead she had tears in her eyes. "Ran-neechan....."

"So when are they coming for you?"

"Around 6 tonight."

"Okay then."

"Ran-neechan......why are you....crying?" Conan ventured to ask.

"Oh, I just.......well, Conan, you're always getting into trouble, and I just want you to come home in one piece, and well, at least you're not like Shinichi who just runs off without notice.......but anyway, just come back safely, okay?"

Conan nodded, as he looked away, no longer able to stand the sadness in her eyes. Ran left, as Conan sat on the sofa, his guilt pilling up.

Ran walked off to her room, locking the door behind her. He knew without even looking that she was crying, crying for _him. Again. _Conan put his head in his hands and groaned. _This is the worst! I hate seeing her cry, and I hate not being able to talk to her, as the real me....when will this nightmare be over?_ Just as Conan lifted his head to glance at his watch, a horn honked downstairs and Conan knew he had to go. He picked up his duffel bag and just before closing the door, he said, "Bye, Ran-neechan...."

There was no answer. Conan sighed again, and closed the door softly behind him. As he got into Sandra's black car downstairs, he must have had on a very sad look, because Sandra asked, "Why the sad face?"

When Conan didn't answer, Sandra chose to remain silent as she dialed a number on her cell phone.

"Hey, Kuroba...."

At the mention of his brother's name, Conan sat up from the slouched position he had been in.

"No, he's okay, kind of sad........ahh, yeah, you what? Oh, cool, congrats, well, see you.......no it'll have to wait................how long? Well, at least until we get back........"

Conan glanced at Sandra, wanting to know what the two were talking about.

"Ok, so we'll see you then.......ok, later." Sandra hung up and glanced at Conan. She was quiet for a few seconds. Then she said, "You want to know what Kuroba knows?"

Conan stared at her.

"Well, obviously," she said, laughing a bit. She made a turn off the highway as they neared the airport terminal. "Kuroba-kun knows just about as much as you. There isn't much I can explain, but......."

"You know very well that I would like to have my history explained," Conan finally said, his tone full of sadness and betrayal.

"Yes, I do, Kudo-kun, but that will have to wait. Kuroba-kun would like to explain it all to you in person when we get back. I don't want to say something wrong. But let's just go over the facts, Kudo-kun, so you're not too upset.

"You, Kuroba Shinichi, was born to Kuroba Toichi and Meimi, a year after Kuroba Kaito was born, so Kuroba-kun is a year older than you. For some personal reasons, you were abandoned in a deserted park on the night of May 4, sixteen years ago. A young couple, namely Kudo Yusaku and Yukiko, happened to pass by and found you. They took you in, naming you Kudo Shinichi, as you were found with an identification card....."

"I was found with an identification card?!?"

"Yes, but the only thing written was Shinichi."

"Oh, go on."

"Okay, and so you grew up. I know that Toichi ojisan's accident was actually a murder to silence him, and the FBI are already working on that, and we found all this information from Kuroba Toichi's hidden files, just like the ones your parents, I mean, the Kudo's had. The Kudo's suspected that you were from the Kuroba family, as there was a child with the name Shinichi who belonged to them. But............."

"You have another thought?"

"Well, yes. I suspect that, it's very difficult to explain, so when we find out the whole truth from Kuroba-kun, because he'll confront his mother, then I'll tell you my suspicion." Sandra parked in the loading zone, mentioned for Conan to go, and got out. They left the car there, and a few minutes later, Conan saw a man get into Sandra's car and drive it away.

As they were waiting in the security line, Conan asked in a low voice. "Who was that?"

"A fellow agent, he works for me."

"I see."

"Yeah, now let's talk about something that doesn't relate to the current case."

"Alright, I'll talk about the past soccer season you must have missed with......never mind, but anyways, the soccer tournament started with........"

Soon Conan and Sandra were both deeply engaged in topic of soccer, that they failed to notice that a man in a black suit was only ten meters behind them, boarding the same plane with them, and sitting only 5 rows behind them.

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"Will all passengers please buckle your seatbelts, as we will be landing in the San Francisco International Airport in just a half hour. Thank you for choosing Japan Airlines, and we hope you have a nice vacation. Come back next time!" The flight attendant was saying.

Conan sighed as she poked Sandra next to him. Surprisingly she was already awake. "Did you actually sleep?"

Sandra pretended to yawn. "Of course not. Agents never quite feel comfortable sleeping in public or when on a mission," she hissed softly. In a normal voice, she said, "I'm going to the bathroom, I'll be right back." Sandra got up, slapping Conan on the back, sticking a small bug that even Conan didn't even notice onto his collar. Just as soon as Sandra closed the door to her bathroom stall, the man in the black suit wearing dark sunglasses stood up and walked forward 5 rows to where Conan was sitting alone. He sat down in Sandra's empty seat and didn't look at Conan.

Conan tried not to flinch in his window seat, but he knew that the man must be trying to kidnap him or something, but wondered why he would try to attempt such a thing on an airplane. Just as Conan was wondering if he should shoot the man with his stun wrist watch, Sandra walked out of her stall and appeared next to the man in the black suit. She stood there for a second, taking in what she saw, as the man looked up at her. Then she crossed her arms and said, "Move." The man smiled and stood up, letting Sandra back to her seat. When Sandra sat down, the man took the empty aisle seat next to her.

Conan knew his eyes were bulging, but he didn't say anything. Sandra took out a piece of paper and wrote "Bodyguard" on it. As Conan read the word, he could feel his body release its tension and he let go of the arm handle he was gripping. Sandra settled back in her chair as Conan looked out of the window, watching the buildings and trees come into view, he wondered how much more complicated one simple mistake could get him into. He sighed as he settled in for the bumpy landing.

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Conan and Sandra got off the plane with the 'bodyguard' close behind. Thought Conan was still getting creepy vibes from the man, he trusted Sandra, and to anyone, he looked just like a kid who was nervous about traveling. Sandra rented a small black car and as they drove away, Conan saw that their bodyguard had gotten in a car that went the opposite way of the way they were going.

"Sandra, how come our 'bodyguard' went the wrong way?" he asked, glancing in this rearview mirror.

"We don't need him anymore."

"What?"

"You heard me. And he's going back to our office here."

"But then why did we need him on the plane?"

"Well, technically we didn't, but he just happened to be finishing on his assignment and his orders were to come protect you if needed, and he was just doing his job."

"So you're my bodyguard?"

"I guess."

"Sandra, can I ask you something?"

"Shoot," she said as she turned off the highway and onto a small street with a whole bunch of houses.

"Well, where are we going?"

Sandra smiled. "You'll see," she said as she stopped the car and turned off the engine. She led Conan into a beautiful house. The windows were all drawn, however, and that was what aroused his suspicions.

"Why are the windows all dr-"

"Shh." Sandra grabbed his hand and yanked him behind her. "Don't say anything," she hissed so softly Conan had to strain to hear. Conan obeyed as he stayed absolutely still and silent behind Sandra, who was dressed in a white tank top, with a light blue half-clear jacket thrown over that. She was wearing a pair of white short with a pair of white and blue sneakers. She silently reached into the backpack she was holding and as she was looking for something, a man cam down the stairs, causing her to whip her head up.

The man smiled, evilly as stopped on the third stair and pointed a gun at Sandra. Sandra let go of her backpack and drew out a gun, pointing it at the man.

"Seems like I got here before you," he said, smiling and flashing a row of glimmering teeth.

"Where is Ken?"

"Somewhere safe, I assure you."

"And I bet you're trying to force him to tell you the antidote of the apotoxin, then you'll kill him and steal it, huh?"

"You really should join us, Sandra. You would be a nice agent."

Sandra snorted.

"Seems like I can't change your mind, huh?" He raised his gun, and put his finger on the trigger. "So should you or the boy die, first?"

Conan couldn't stand it any longer. _This man is flirting with her and at the same time threatening her! It's absolutely gross and I don't have all the time in the world to hear him blabber. _He glanced around and saw a clock sitting on the counter. Reaching down to his shoe, he grabbed the clock with his free hand, and kicked the clock at the man's hands. Obviously surprised at the sudden movement from the kid, the man didn't have time to react before the clock made contact with his gun, whipping it out of his hands and landing on the floor. Sandra ran forward and kicked the man in the......place where it hurts, and he collapsed with a big 'UH!'.

Sandra then took out a pair of handcuffs, cuffed the man to the railing of the stair way, with both hands behind his back and picked up his gun. She stuck both his gun and her gun into her backpack, and glanced over at Conan.

"That was a nice kick."

"Thanks, but what happened?"

"Hang on, let's get Ken out first."

Sandra walked over to the bookcase to the right of the staircase, pulled a specific book out of the top shelf and the bookcase swung open, revealing a secret room behind it. In the center of the room, there was a man, probably in his late forties, tied and gagged in a chair. Just as Sandra was going to walk in, the man looked up, saw her and shook his head. He gestured with his head, frantically to the cabinet on the right of Sandra. Sandra narrowed her eyes and yanked it open. Conan walked as her eyes grew wide. She glanced back at the man, who just nodded. Sandra nodded a thank you, grabbed something out of the cabinet and ran back out to the front door, picking up Conan in the process. Once in the car, she floored the accelerator, and didn't talk until they reached the highway.

Conan's heart was still beating at 100 beats/minute because Sandra had gone through five red lights, nearly missing 8 cars, and now she tossed her cell phone to Conan and said, "Call the first number on the list."

Conan scrolled down and found to his amazement that the number was one that her recognized. It was his brother's, Kuroba Kaito's.

As Kaito picked up the phone and Conan said, "Hello, Kuroba, no, niijan would be better."

"Kudo?"

"You forgot, I'm not Kudo. I'm Kuroba, so you can call me-"

"Kudo, shut up and give me the phone."

"What?" Conan was surprised that Sandra had spoken and handed her the phone.

"Kuroba, where are you?"

"Where am I? Well, at the coffee shop, like you sai-"

"Then hurry up and get your butt over here. Meet me at the train station ASAP, got that?"

"Yup."

Sandra hung up, leaving Conan to wonder what was going on.

All Sandra said was, "I'm getting Kuroba and you back to Japan. They won't be ready that quick and as soon as you two get out of here, then I'll call for reinforcements and settle these guys down."

"Are you sure you can handle them? I mean, there may be more than one. Also, you should know that they aren't exactly that easy to knock out," Conan asked worriedly as Sandra made a sharp right turn, almost crashing into the pedestrians. Sandra suddenly stopped at the corner, nodded to Conan and he got out, abandoning his duffel bag, but only taking the small vial that Sandra handed him.

"Go, Kuroba is waiting for you."

Conan turned to see his brother standing there. Kaito smiled slightly. Conan looked back at Sandra and nodded. "Thanks."

Sandra nodded, and Conan shut the door with a slam. Just as the door slammed shut, Sandra floored the accelerator and no soon had Kaito bent down and stood in front of him, blocking him from view, did a another small car come zooming after Sandra's.

As Kaito dragged Conan from the sidewalk, Conan looked up at his brother and asked, "Will she be alright?"

Kaito looked at him awkwardly and then looked away. "She should be." Kaito looked back at his brother. "You seem attached to her now."

"Well, she did risk everything she had to help me. I owe her thanks, but even that wouldn't be enough....." Conan felt even more guilty, as Sandra put her life on the line, to save a whole bunch of people she didn't even know.

"Here, put this on first." Kaito put a blue baseball cap on Conan's head and gave him a pair of sunglasses.

Conan put the items held out to him and followed silently to the train station. Kaito put on a cap backwards and slipped on Conan's glasses. To anyone, they just looked like a pair of brothers having fun.

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Later that day, at about 11:30pm, Kaito and Conan arrived at Kaito's house. Kaito mentioned for Conan to take the guest room. Just before leaving, he said, "By the way, Kudo. There's something very important I need to talk to you about.....it's about our......relationship to each other. So take a good night's rest. Oh yes, before I forget, that vial that Sandra gave you. It's the antidote to that drug that shrunk you. You might want to take it and save one for your friend that is if she wants one. If I wake up tomorrow and you're not here, I'll assume you left to see Mouri-san. I'll find you later, but be careful, okay?"

"Thanks, Kuroba."

"No need to thank me. Thank Sandra."

"I'll be here tomorrow."

"Ehh?"

"I need....to sort my feelings out first......and I want to know what you have to say......"

"Okay, 'night, Kudo."

"'night."

-to be continued-

_Well, that wasn't what I expected in the beginning....but new ideas popped up.....Oh, just a fore-warning, someone might die in the next chapter, so please don't kill me.....And I know this take a long time because I spent all my time doing something else....sorry and I had writer's block too....Well, I hope you liked it so far and please review!!!_


	5. Coming Home

**Disclaimer: Anything taken from DC or MK doesn't belong to me.**

One Truth

_By: mysteriousangelgirl_

Chapter 5: Coming home

"Kudo."

"Didn't I tell you before? You shouldn't be calling me Kudo anymore, because I'm not a Kudo-"

"Kudo, will you shut up and let me explain?" Kaito cut in. He put his head in his hands.

The two were in the guest room. Conan had taken the antidote and finally regained his body as Kudo Shinichi, but he was still depressed about being a Kuroba.

"Kudo, let me explain the whole thing alright? Sandra told me she had suspicions about us being brothers, and so I decided it was time for the whole and REAL truth to come out. I asked my mom and she broke down, explaining everything. This is what she said....."

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_That day, Kaito walked into the kitchen at __12am__, where his mother was still roaming around._

_"Mom."_

_Meimi whirled around to find her son looking at her with sad eyes._

_"Kaito! You should be in bed! There's still school tomorrow!"_

_"Mom, what I have to talk to you about is a lot more important than school......also, what are you doing in the kitchen this late?"_

_"Well, I.....I was just thinking of your father, and I couldn't fall asleep....and so I decided to get up.....and then I felt kind of hungry.....and......"_

_"It's alright, Mom. I was thinking about Dad too. If he.....if he was still here today, things......would be so much better......" Kaito tried hard to keep back tears._

_"Kaito, oh Kaito....." Meimi walked over to her son and hugged him. "It's alright.....we all miss him...."_

_"Mom," Kaito pulled back from his mother slightly. "I have something that I really need to ask you." He looked at his mother. "It's VERY important, so I need you to answer truthfully.....please?"_

_"Kaito....is it.....about your father?"_

_"No only him, but you too......"_

_"Me too?"_

_"Yeah," Kaito mentioned to the kitchen table. "Let's sit down first."_

_Meimi sat down in the chair that Kaito pulled out for her. She was worried, worried about what her son had found out. Of course he knew that Toichi was Kaito Kid.....but what else was there that they needed to talk about? Anything about Toichi was always unspoken, sort of like a discussion of their thoughts, there wasn't anything that needed to be said out loud..._

_Kaito took a seat next to his mom. "Mom, do I have a brother?"_

_Meimi was silent, except for the gasp that escaped her tightly closed lips._

_"Is that a yes, Mom?"_

_"Oh no, no, no. Whatever made you think that?"_

_"Mom, there was a site.....that linked to the hospital records that stated that you and Dad had a child called.......called......."_

_"Called Shinichi?"_

_"Mom!"_

_"Kaito, that was all a misunderstanding......."_

_"Misunderstanding?"_

_"Let me explain. I did get pregnant a year after you were born...but I miscarried that child before he was born. You were only one, Kaito."_

_"Mom, I don't get it, then how come the hospital records say....."_

_"Kaito, Shinichi belongs to Kudo Yukiko and Yusaku."_

_"But how....how is that possible?"_

_"Yukiko gave birth to Shinichi, but they the hospital thought that I gave birth to him, and that Yukiko-san miscarried. It all got mixed up."_

_"But what about the story of finding Kudo on the bench of the park?"_

_"That was me. I knew I miscarried, so I didn't have the heart to keep Shinichi."_

_"So, Kudo's not my brother, and he does belong to Yukiko-san and Yusaku-san!"_

_"Yes, and your father and I tried telling the hospital but they didn't understand."_

_"I have to tell Kudo that! He's all upset and confused about this....."_

_"I never knew that Shinichi-kun himself would know...."_

_"He read his parent's file."_

_"Oh, well, pretty smart...."_

_"He's a DETECTIVE, Mom."_

_"Oh, well. That would explain things."_

_"Mom, thanks for letting me know. This, well, I hope will help, Kudo," Kaito said as he got up from his chair._

_"No problem, if it helps. I don't think I can keep anything from you, Kaito."_

_Kaito smiled and bent down to kiss him mother on the cheek. "'night, Mom."_

_"Wait, but your father and Yusaku-san ARE very distant relatives.....so......"_

_"So I'm not surprised that even distant relatives look alike, ne?"_

_"And I was wondering why you and Shinichi-kun look like twins......"_

_"Hmm, 'night Mom."_

_"'night, Kaito," Meimi said as she kissed him back."_

_Kaito disappeared into the darkness of the house, but not before he said, "Thanks, Mom."_

_Meimi smiled as she got up, turning off the kitchen light and wandered back to her room. Just before she fell asleep, she knew her husband was watching her._

------------------------------------------------------------

"You get it now, Kudo?"

Shinichi remained silent, not knowing what to do. He stared at Kaito, who looked right back at him. Then, out of no where, he laughed. Kaito was obviously surprised because he leaned back in his chair, almost toppling off of it.

"Kudo?"

"Sorry, sorry....." Shinichi said, trying to be calm again. "It's just that we've been so serious and tense all this time, that when I realized how completely stupid I've been, I just can't help but laugh. And no wonder my parents didn't say anything, they were MY parents."

Kaito smiled. _There we go. The old Kudo._ "Well, now that we've solved one thing, our relationship, now let's-"

"But technically, we're distant cousins?"

"I guess you could say that."

Shinichi smiled. "That's nice to know."

"Kudo, I'm not meaning to destroy your light mood now, but there are other things we need to talk about."

"What? You mean......about.......'them'?"

Kaito nodded, not knowing how his news would affect his new best friend. "Promise me, you won't go crazy?"

"Kuroba, either way, with the way you're talking, I know I'm going to go insane." Shinichi's tone was back to being soft and serious.

"Alright. I got a call last night. It was from the FBI."

"FBI? And you didn't tell me?" Shinichi's eyes nearly popped out.

"Kudo, listen. They said that the organization branch in America has been brought down. And that branch was closely tied to the one here in Japan. As a result, the organization will no longer be a threat to us, or anyone in the whole country."

"There's still bad news, I can hear it in your voice."

"And I thought you might celebrate first......alright. The bad news. It's Sandra."

"Is she hurt? How badly?"

"No, Kudo. She died. She was killed in a four-way car crash."

"What?" Shinichi's voice was nearly a whisper.

"She.....they were chasing her. Still thinking that you were in that car, they had four cars go after her. She knew, she knew that even before she let you go. But to save your life, Kudo, she kept driving, and went right with their plan. As she went through an intersection, three cars coming from all different ways came at her. The last came from behind. No one in those five cars survived." Kaito was having a hard time keeping his eyes from watering.

Kudo sat there, on the bed, speechless. When he finally uttered a few words, he said, "It's my fault. If she, if she had never chose to save me, she could have saved herself. Her job was only to get me the antidote......but why? Why does so many people die because of me?" Kudo didn't have any expression in his words, but he had tears streaming down his face. "How can I face anyone anymore, Kuroba??" He turned to look at his friend. "I'm a killer, I let her die!"

Kaito touched his arm lightly, causing Kudo to flinch, but not draw back. "I know, it's," he sniffled, "very sad, and......well, the FBI doesn't want it going to public.....so let's forget it......"

"Forget it? How can I forget it?? She-"

Kaito cut Shinichi off by placing a finger to his lips. "You can stay here if you want, or you can go back to Mouri-san. Your choice. She'll be expecting you tonight, though." And with that, Kaito walked out of the room, closing the door for privacy behind him.

Inside the room, Shinichi cried silent tears. Tears for his protector, a friend who willingly sacrificed herself for the lives of millions of innocent ones, and tears for himself, angry tears for not being able to do anything, and for leaving his love behind for so long. He knew he wanted to go back to her, but he had to speak with Kaito one more time before he left.

Silently, outside the guest room, Kaito let the tears he'd been holding in for so long, finally fall. Tears for Sandra, that girl with the bright smile, who sacrificed the most important thing to her for the safety of those around her; she made a difference, and tears for himself, for not being able to prevent such a tragedy from happening, for never telling his friend his true feelings for her, for lying to her, and for not being able to comfort his new acquired friend. Kaito finally shook his head, wiped away the tears, and disappeared to his room.

Kuroba Meimi watched silently from the kitchen. _I'm sorry, Kaito......and Shinichi-kun......I'm sorry for not being able to comfort you........Toichi, please watch over them...._

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

That night, Shinichi walked up the stairs to the Mouri Detective Agency and nodded softly. He could hear Ran inside, washing dishes, and her father snoring on the couch. After hearing the knock, the running water stopped and soft footsteps told him she was coming. He shifted nervously from foot to foot, fingering the small box in his pocket.

As she opened the door, and saw who was there, her eyes widened. "Shinichi!"

He smiled. "Ran."

"Co, co, come in."

"Thanks."

Ran looked at him as she closed the door.

"Are you back for real?"

Shinichi smiled. "Yes, this time, I'm back for real."

"Where's Conan-kun?"

"He met up with his parents in America, and they took him with them. He says he's sorry he didn't get to say good-bye, and for making you cry." Shinichi took out a box from his pocket. "And he sent me this to give to you." He held out the small red box and a piece of paper to her, watching her expression turn from shock to even more shocked.

Ran took the paper, and opened it. She gasped as she read, in Conan's unmistakable handwriting:

_Dear Ran-neechan,_

_I'm sorry I had to leave so unexpectedly. I know I'll always miss having you as my neechan. Thank you for taking care of me, and thank ojisan too. Maybe ojisan and I don't always get alone well, but he's a nice guy. I'm really sorry for making you cry just before I left. I hope that you'll be happy again, now that Shinichi-niichan's coming back, so take care!_

_ Love,_

_ your little brother, Conan_

_P.S. I hope you like the small gift._

Ran put the letter down on the coffee table and opened the small red box. It was a locket, with the name "Mouri Ran" engraved on the front. When she opened it, she found a picture of Conan and her, both smiling and having the time of their lives, and the second was just a picture of Ran. She was smiling, and she knew that Conan had taken it when she was daydreaming about Shinichi. Ran put the locket on, with tears in her eyes.

"Thank you, Conan-kun...." she whispered.

Shinichi smiled, holding back tears. "And now something from me."

Ran looked at him in surprise.

Shinichi took out a second small box from his pocket, but this one was pink. He got down on one knee, holding the box open to reveal a beautiful gold ring, a red ruby diamond in the middle, and said, "Will you marry me?", all in one moment.

Ran gasped, and when she reached out to touch the ring, she said, "Of course, baka, I've been waiting for a long time now." As Shinichi got back to his feet and Ran was going to slip the ring onto her finger, she noticed an inscription on the inside of the band. She tilted the ring to read it and gasped again, when she read the words "We will be with you forever" inscribed on the inside.

She looked at Shinichi. "We?"

"Conan-kun and me."

Ran smiled and slipped the ring on her finger. She smiled at her fiancé, frowned down at her dad, who had slept through all of it, and then threw herself into Shinichi's arms. "I love you, baka!"

Shinichi smiled, and whispered, "I love you too."

-to be continued-

_Alright, so how as that? I know you're all thinking 'what else is there to write?' but I'm going to have an epilogue, and that will be up ASAP. Please review!!! And sorry if you didn't like what I did in this chapter, at least Shinichi and Kaito are still DISTANTLY related. Well, I'll see you all in the next chapter!!! And please review!!!!_


	6. Epilogue: Perfect

**Disclaimer: Anything used from DC or MK belong to their respective owners and aren't mine.**

One Truth

_By: mysteriousangelgirl_

Epilogue: Perfect

It was two years after Kudo Shinichi's return. He and Ran had gotten married two weeks upon his return, with Heiji and Kazuha following a week later. Kaito and Aoko had a double wedding with Heiji and Kazuha. About a month later, Shinichi's parents returned from their world tour. Things began to settle down. As both Kaito and Shinichi got into the Tokyo University, along with Ran and Aoko, Heiji and Kazuha got into the Osaka University. The good friends often got together, keeping good contact between them. Then that fateful day arrived again, the day that Sandra Matono died.

Kaito and Shinichi found a way to get out of their wives grasp, and were walking to the cemetery; they suddenly fell into a comfortable silence. When they were outside the gates to the cemetery, Kaito finally found words to say.

"You know, Kudo. Maybe it's fate. Maybe Matono knew that. Maybe we shouldn't be sad every time we think of her, but thankful that she was there to save us....."

Shinichi nodded, not meeting his friend's gaze. He looked up at the blue sky. "But she didn't deserve it."

"Kudo.....you still feel guilty, after all this time."

"Well, I can't help it."

As Kaito was about to say something, another voice cut in. "Kudo, you better snap out of that, or I'll force you too."

Both Kaito and Shinichi snapped their heads around to see the owner of the voice. It was Sandra.

"How.....how can you....." Shinichi sputtered, as Kaito just watched with gigantic eyes. That was when he saw the condition that Sandra was in. Sandra had a giant scar across her left cheek, and her right arm was in a cast. There were probably more scars, but she was wearing long pants.

"Matono, how did you-?"

"Well, I was in that car accident, like you know," Sandra said, answering their unspoken question. "Though the impact caused me to lose consciousness and I was in critical condition for a month. They told you I died because the possibility of me surviving was like 1 to a billion, and to prevent any hopes from being crushed, they just told you I died immediately. I, however, beat the odds, and awoke 34 days after the car crash. In the beginning, I was in a vegetative state, and my body wasn't able to move at all. It took two years, but now I can finally walk and move again." Sandra smiled.

Shinichi and Kaito were speechless. But Kaito spoke first. "I always knew you were one to the beat the odds."

"Thanks."

"Well, I guess now I can be completely happy again," Shinichi said, extending his hand out to Sandra.

Sandra looked at him for a moment, her smile wavering, but then grinned and took his hand. They shook hands and she said, "You'll hear from me soon, Kudo. Be well." With and a small nod to Kaito, Sandra walked away, her long brown hair dancing in the wind.

Kaito and Shinichi watched the FBI agent disappear from sight and then laughed. They headed home and finally, after many long years of suffering and pain, were once again able to be completely happy, with no worries or fears. As they met up with their wives, they knew that their lives were perfect, at least as perfect as they could ever as for.

-end-

Completed: June 20, 2004

_Well, I hope you all liked that, and thanks for reading! Please review and I really appreciate all the people who spent time to read it, plus review!!! Thanks a billion to you all! Well, I'll be working on a site for a friend, so I won't have any fanfics for a while, plus the fact that I'm sort of out of ideas. Well, thanks again for reading and pleas review!! Check my profile for something you can help me with. Thanks! _


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